


ML Prompt Collection

by theawkwardvelociraptor



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Drabble, Drabble Collection, LadyNoir - Freeform, ML, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, Multi, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Prompt Fic, Tumblr Prompt, ladrien
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-07-10 20:54:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7006441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theawkwardvelociraptor/pseuds/theawkwardvelociraptor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A compilation of short/one-chapter fics, usually inspired by prompts found online. If a prompt was used, it'll be in the notes before the fic. They're all a smattering of topics/pairings/levels of seriousness, but they'll probably mostly focus on the love square. There will probably be some DJWifi, HeartRate, as well as other romantic/non-romantic pairings.</p><p>There will never be a defined number of "chapters" to this because I'm hoping that writing these prompts will be an ongoing thing, but I guess we'll see!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First-Timers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I was just kind of hoping that you'd, y'know...fall in love with me."
> 
> In which Chat Noir tricks Ladybug into going on a date. Sort of.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, MAJOR shoutout to @novaya-model for being the best Beta ever. You're a cooler cat than your cat son, though I suppose that's not saying much. ;)

It had been a long day. Marinette flopped onto her chaise, body overcome with fatigue. Between school (where Adrien had talked to her! Twice!!), helping in the bakery, homework, and her latest design project, Marinette’s fingers were aching and her body was completely exhausted. Given another 20 seconds, the 17-year-old would have been fast asleep.

Which made Tikki’s interruption of her dozing extremely unwelcome.

“Chat’s trying to contact you!” the tiny red kwami whispered, tapping her charge gently on the nose a few times to rouse her.

Marinette groaned as she groggily rubbed her eyes and sat up on the chaise.

“Alright,” she muttered, “Let’s get this over with. Tikki, _transforme moi!_ ”

Within moments, a very grumpy Ladybug was sitting in Marinette’s place and opening up her communicator. It showed that she had several missed video chats (hah) from Chat, as well as one text message: **_Meet me at the Louve as soon as possible._**

Her heart nearly stopped as she lunged for her phone, quickly bringing up the Ladyblog homepage. As she scrolled through the most recent posts, her concern lessened as her confusion grew. There hadn’t been any akuma sightings in the past few days, and now wasn’t any different. So why was he summoning her? Her attention was drawn back to her communicator as another text from Chat popped up: **_Please hurry._**

Feelings of unease settling in her stomach, Marinette quickly snapped her yoyo shut and began quickly making her way to her partner.

* * *

She found Chat easily, lying casually on a rooftop by the Louve and seemingly without a care in the world. Ladybug took a few moments to steady her breathing before addressing her companion, whom had looked up at her approach.

“You know, for how frantic your texts seemed, I’ll admit I’m a little disappointed that you’re not doing anything more interesting than stargazing,” Ladybug said, her tone casual with a hint of chastisement that Chat quickly caught onto. He smiled in response before hopping up from his previous position and walking over to where Ladybug stood, hands on her hips.

“Apologies, My Lady, but I had to make sure you’d come. I wouldn’t want what I’ve purr-lanned out for the evening to go to waste,” winking as he concluded his statement.

Ladybug took a more defensive pose, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes looked him over wearily, waiting for him to elaborate. Based on the mischievous smirk on his face, she assumed that he was waiting for her to ask for more details. For once, she decided to humor him.

Closing her eyes and sighing with exasperation, she finally asked, “What might those plans include, Chat?”

Her partner grinned widely in response, eyes glittering at her interest. “Why, My Lady, I’m so glad you asked! However, it’d hardly be fair for me to spoil the evening. It hasn't even begun!” He waggled his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes. “Shall we take a stroll, my dear Ladybug?”

He ended up leading her southwest from the Louve, the two of them running and jumping, hopping over buildings and swinging in between them. After a short while, Ladybug could sense that Chat was slowing down. _I guess that means we’re approaching our destination,_ she assumed.

A few moments later, Chat lowered himself to the sidewalk with his baton. Taking the cue, Ladybug swung down, landing at his side looking confused.

“Seriously, Chat, what are we doing? Where are we going?” She trusted him with her life, but she wasn’t comfortable going into a situation where she didn’t know what to expect. Even with an akuma, she at least had a vague idea of what they were in for. But whatever was happening now? She was going in completely blind.

He smiled again, this time tinged with a slight nervousness that increased hers exponentially. He put his arm on her upper back, guiding her around the corner as she started mentally plotting escape routes.

“Don’t worry, My Lady, we’re almost there…” His walking slowed and he turned her to face the building to their left. Ladybug lifted her eyes and slightly grimaced.

“Le Meurice? Chat, why are we standing in front of a super fancy and overly-priced restaurant?” She turned to look at Chat, whose cheeks were slightly tinged with pink. “Was there a robbery? Potential akuma?” Chat darted his eyes away from her and rubbed the back of his neck. “If you tell me that this is Hawk Moth’s secret lair, I’m not sure I’ll believe you.”

It took a moment for Chat to respond, and by the time he did, Ladybug was getting impatient, struggling to understand why he was acting so strangely all of a sudden.

“Do you… Do you remember that one day…when I mentioned that I’d been meaning to ask you…o-out to dinner?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I vaguely remember that. I also remember that my focus just happened to be on more important matters at the time.” Chat was looking down at his toes again. “What’s your point in all of—“ Ladybug stopped, everything finally falling into place in her head.

 _Dinner. Fancy restaurant. Nervous Chat._ She groaned internally. _Stupid, clueless Ladybug._

Chat seemed to realize that she’d finally connected the dots and was looking up at her shyly, a look she’d never expected to see on his face. Her eyes were wide as she met his gaze, shock and surprise flooding her body.

“My Lady...” he began, a small but hopeful smile on his face and his hand extended in her direction, “Would you care to have dinner with me tonight?”

While she had never had romantic feelings for Chat, warmth spread through her body as her chest filled with butterflies. She could see how much he was opening himself up to her, which wasn’t something they could often do in their suits. She could feel her expression soften as she smiled, taking his hand.

“Of course, _mon chaton_.” Seeing the elation on his face, she quickly backtracked. “But _this isn’t a date!_ ”

Her emphasis sent him laughing as the pair linked their arms and walked inside. “Of _course_ not, My Lady.” He smiled at her awestruck reaction once they had entered the building. “Not a date at _all_.”

The restaurant was beautiful. It was grand. It was…above and beyond any restaurant Marinette had ever been in before. The dining room reminded of her a ballroom; it was large and open with plenty of space between each table. Sparkling gold crystal chandeliers hung from the tall ceiling and the floor was covered in elaborate mosaics. The décor was pristine white with silver and gold accents, made more inviting by the warm lighting from the chandeliers. The whole room was done in a traditional Rococo style, every bit of it as intricate and awe-inspiring as the next. Overall, it left her with such an impression of elegance and grandeur that she didn’t realize her jaw was practically on the floor until Chat tapped her under her chin a few times. She promptly shut her mouth, flushing with embarrassment.

It was at that moment that another small detail managed to sink its way into her conscience.

“Um… Chat?”

“Yes?”

“Where… Where is everyone?”

He chuckled at her sudden realization, and she glanced all around them. The restaurant was completely empty. Ladybug turned to look at him curiously.

“Chat, are they even open this late?” Seeing a clock on the wall, she took note that it was just after 10.

“Well, they close to the public at 9:45 most nights. Which technically includes tonight.” He got a mischievous glint in his eye. “But we’re not the public.”

Before Ladybug had the chance to say anything, a man came around the corner, startling her.

“ _Bonjour_ , Monsieur Chat Noir. Mademoiselle Ladybug. If you would follow me, please, your table is ready.”

The pair followed behind him, though they weren’t going the direction she assumed they would. Eventually they were led up a staircase before Ladybug was hit with a burst of fresh air.

They had emerged onto the rooftop of La Meurice, which was completely covered in flickering candles, fairy lights, and one lone table perfectly set with two chairs and a singular candle in the middle. The Eiffel Tower shown brightly in the distance, beautifully contrasting with the night sky.

 _If my eyes get any wider, they’re going to pop right out of my head,_ Ladybug thought faintly.

Once she and Chat were situated at the table, the waiter handed them menus, took their drink orders, and left them in peace. Or slightly awkward silence. Same thing, right?

Ladybug pretended to be reading the menu despite the fact that her mind was absolutely buzzing. Her frantic thinking was interrupted by Chat clearing his throat, causing her to look up at him.

“So,” he began, once again nervous, “What do you think?”

“This is…” She paused for a moment to consider. “This is absolutely perfect. The weather, the atmosphere, the view…”

In customary Chat Noir fashion, he leaned her way with a flirty expression on his face. “And what lovely things might you have to say about your date?” Ladybug rolled her eyes and smiled before turning to look out over the city once more.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before the waiter came back with their drinks. They ordered their food, Chat ultimately helping her decide, before the waiter was on his way again. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Ladybug exhaled one long sigh. Sensing Chat’s gaze, she opened her eyes to meet his and smiled.

“This is really nice, Chat.” He sat up straighter at the praise, his smile growing a little wider. “But I do have a question for you.”

His face was relaxed and open as he regarded her with adoration. “Ask away, My Lady.”

“Why are you taking me on a da—out for dinner?” His posture stiffened as she asked, his expression freezing on his face. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. Like I said, this is wonderful, and I like spending time with you. But… This just seems so above and beyond anything I’d have expected from you.”

Once again slipping into his role of overly-dramatic-if-not-somewhat-overbearing, he grandly exclaimed, “But of course, only the best for my lady! Holder of my heart, apple of my eye! I would give you all of Paris if I could!”

Near the end of his dramatics, he had thrown his left had over his face, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. When Ladybug remained silent, he peeked one eye open to see her annoyed expression looking at him with some distaste. She was obviously waiting for his real answer.

He brought his hand down from his face, grabbing his right arm with it. A look of uncertainty crossed his face once again, causing Ladybug’s annoyed visage to shift into a slight frown.

“I was just kind of hoping that you’d, y’know…fall in love with me.”

She could tell by the earnest expression on his face that he was being entirely serious, and it made her heart ache. _Oh Chat,_ she thought, _If only it were that simple…_

She hesitated before responding aloud. She’d been pining after Adrien for so long… But to what result? Two years into their acquaintance-turned-friendship and she was just now figuring out how to string two words together without making some inhuman noise. With Chat things had always been easy. Their dynamic flowed. Though their personalities certainly differed, when it came to the important things the two of them were perfectly in-sync.

Would it be so bad, she wondered, trying to love Chat?

All of this had occurred to her in just a few split seconds, and she had come to her decision. One she would try to stick to, starting right now. She reached her hand out and laid it on the table, meeting Chat’s gaze. His eyes flicked down to her hand, then back up to her with a questioning look. She just smiled back. With a surprised look, he tentatively reached his hand up, sliding it over hers on top of the table. The two of them smiled at each other, once again understanding the underlying message.

_I don’t love you like that, silly cat. But maybe, one day, just maybe I could._


	2. Dancing Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How long have you been standing there?"  
> "Longer than you'd like."
> 
> Chat catches Marinette doing something that no one was ever meant to see.

It felt good to be on the move.

School. Fencing. Piano. Chinese. Every move of his day being dictated by Natalie or his father. Missing his mother. Rejection from Ladybug. Every worry, every care escaped from his mind as he ran over rooftops, leaping from building to building and practicing his more parkour-esque skills.

No thinking allowed. This was all physical.

It wasn’t until he’d wound all through Paris and was nearly back home again that he bothered stopping to catch his breath. Occasionally he’d stop on this particular rooftop, waiting to see if the building’s inhabitant would come sit with him for a while and chat at the sound of his boots on her roof. He had already seen that her light was on, but despite his waiting, she did not emerge.

Chat frowned as he knocked on the door that led down into her room, still receiving no response. Feeling slightly concerned at the lack of response, he tested the trap door; it wasn’t locked. After a few moments hesitation, Chat made a decision and peeked his head down through the door.

What he saw almost sent him into a cackling spree.

* * *

It felt good to just…move.

The beat of the song resonated in her soul, the vocals filling her with glee. The words she knew by heart and the sound of guitar made it impossible to stay still. And why would she want to? This song was amazing!

She danced freely around her room. Eyes closed in reverie, her hair unbound reaching past her shoulders and flinging every-which-way, she let her body move however it wanted to the high-energy song flowing through her headphones.

Marinette rocked out all around her room, head banging, jumping, and killing her air guitar and drumming skills. It wasn’t until the final guitar solo had faded out, the song coming to an end, that she heard the clapping. Her eyes snapped open.

What she saw caused her to yank her headphones out and press her hand to her chest in shock, dropping her music player in the process.

“Ch-Ch-Chat!”

He smirked. “Princess.”

“How… How long have you been standing there…?”

“Long enough.” The twinkle in his eye gave him a particularly playful look. “Longer than you’d like.”

Marinette could feel her face burning with embarrassment. Her occasional nighttime rock-out sessions had become a habit as the school year went on. Between her academic responsibilities and being Ladybug, the stress tended to build up in her system until she couldn’t take it anymore. In these moments, she felt completely in the zone. No thinking, no worrying, no stressing out. Just dancing; pure movement and adrenaline. Just her and her music.

Or so she’d thought.

Her heart rate started slowing down after a few deep breaths with her eyes closed. Once she felt reasonably steady, she opened her eyes, avoiding Chat’s gaze. She could feel just how red her cheeks were, which only made her embarrassment worse.

“What are you doing here, Chat?” she finally managed to sputter out.

“Well, Princess,” he began, clear amusement in his voice, “I just happened to be out for a stroll in the neighborhood and decided to drop by for a chat. And might I say,“—he began crossing the room towards her—“I’m _very_ glad that I did.”

He stopped halfway across the room to pick up her mp3 where she’d dropped it when she had yanked out her headphones. He stuck one of the buds in his ear, listening to the song playing with a smile.

“Jagged Stone,” he said, nodding his head to the beat. “I should have guessed. You designed that new album cover of his, right?”

Hand still hovering over her chest, Marinette silently nodded, finally looking up at Chat and meeting his gaze. It was filled with more sympathy this time, the smile less teasing and more encouraging.

“Sorry if I embarrassed you,” he apologized, pausing the song and wrapping the headphones around the small player. “I really did just want to come by and talk.” He hesitated before going on. “It’s…it’s been a rough week, you know?”

Marinette watched cautiously as he approached her, taking the music player when he offered it to her. When she looked up into his eyes, she saw nothing but sincerity.

She guessed that she could forgive the stupid cat.

“Are you into Jagged Stone, too?” she asked in an attempt to change the subject. Chat nodded, smiling down at her. “He just sent me a CD with some of his older work. Stuff that never got published on an actual CD. I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet, if you’d like to join me.”

Chat’s eyes lit up at the opportunity, nodding his head vigorously. The two of them settled down at Marinette’s computer while she put the CD into the disk drive, pulling up her computer’s music player.

Later, Adrien would fondly look back at that night as the night when he first started falling in love with his wife.


	3. La Tour Eiffel Et Un Chaton Bête

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Y'know... That's not what an apology sounds like."  
> "Bite me."
> 
> In which Chat's being an idiot and Ladybug's getting real tired of his crap.
> 
>  
> 
> Once again, thank you to **@novaya-model** for helping me work through my ideas enough to write this drabble, as well at being a fabulous Beta.

The akuma sure as heck hadn’t gone down without a fight, Ladybug and Chat Noir were completely exhausted, and their 2-year-anniversary dinner date was in shambles. Yet as they stood on the Eiffel Tower looking across their city, pinkies linked, the two couldn’t help but smile at each other in contentment.

“My Lady.”

“ _Mon chaton._ ”

Chat got a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“What would you do if I just…” He slipped his pinkie out of her grasp, precariously leaning forward over the edge.

Ladybug quickly reached out and snatched him by the arm, reeling him back so that he was next to her. She scowled at the smirk on his face.

“Cut it out, Chat. That’s _not_ funny.”

He scooted closer to the edge. Again.

“Chat.”

He started leaning slightly…

“ _Chat_.”

He moved up onto the tips of his toes…

…and suddenly he was falling.

She let him fall for a moment before snagging him by the ankle with her yo-yo, dropping down to the next lowest beam so that the two of them were eye-to-eye as he hung upside down. He looked at her incredulously.

“ _You freaking pushed me!_ ”

“Shush.”

“You _actually_ freaking _pushed_ me!”

“I said _shush_.”

“I can’t believe it! I can’t believe you actually did that to me! You pushed me off the freaking _Eiffel Tower!_ ”

“A keen observation.”

Chat paused for a moment in consideration.

“…You should say you’re sorry.”

“Sorry for what? That fact that _tu est un chaton bête_?

A mock-offended look crossed his visage as he brought his hand to his chest.

“Y’know… That’s not what an apology sounds like.”

Ladybug smirked as she gave her upside-down boyfriend a peck on the lips.

“Bite me.”


	4. Jailbirds of a Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, this is a nice change of scenery.”  
> “It’s a prison cell.”  
> “I was being sarcastic.”
> 
> In which Marinette lands both her and Adrien in jail in the first two paragraphs.

It’s funny how quickly situations can do a complete 180.

For example, two hours ago Marinette and Adrien had set off on their tentative first date. An hour and forty-five minutes ago Adrien had slipped up, fumbling through calling Marinette both “My Lady” and “Princess” in the same sentence. An hour and forty-two minutes ago the cops had arrived on the scene, pulling a fuming Marinette off of a worse-for-wear Adrien. An hour and forty minutes ago, the two of them had been loaded into the back of a cop car and driven back to the station.

Which led to their current situation.

“Well,” Adrien mumbled, poking at his bleeding lip, “This is a nice change of scenery.”

“It’s a prison cell.”

Marinette could practically hear his eyes rolling. “I was being sarcastic.”

It wasn’t long after that that the two of them were released from police custody. They were sure that it was their young age and the fact that Adrien had no plans to press charges that got them out so quickly, but… Well, it’s not like the two of them really understood the inner-workings of the legal system at length.

Once they had walked outside, Marinette and Adrien stood an uncomfortable distance from each other, avoiding eye contact and remaining silent.

Adrien was the first to speak.

“Well… This has turned into one heck of a first date, huh? Heh heh…” He attempted a laugh, but it faded off with no response from Marinette.

The silence now broken, Marinette couldn’t contain her questions anymore.

“How long have you known?” she asked. She knew she didn’t have to specify.

He was stunned by her sudden outburst, but recovered quickly. “Since—“

“ _How_ did you even find out?”

“Well—“

“If you knew, _why didn’t you tell me_ —“

“MARINETTE.” Adrien had finally grown impatient with her cutting him off. “I can’t answer your questions if you keep interrupting me. Will you let me just…explain?”

Her silence was all that answered him. He decided to take it as an agreement.

While evaluating their surroundings, Adrien located a coffee shop down the street. He turned to look at Marinette. _Maybe there’s a way to save this “date” after all._ He gestured for her to follow him, and somewhat to his surprise, she did.

After they both ordered—a hot chocolate for him, a chai latte for her—they sat down at a corner table where they could converse in relative privacy. Once the two were situated at the table, Adrien realized that Marinette still wouldn’t meet his gaze. So he decided to go for it and hope for the best.

“Two weeks ago when we were patrolling—“

“Don’t—“ Marinette made a sort of choking sound. “Adrien, just… _don’t_. I can’t think about…him. And you. Or just…you, I guess. I just…can’t.”

 _Well,_ Adrien thought to himself, _at least everything’s out in the open now._

“You’re gonna have to get used to it, Princess. And I thought you wanted me to answer your questions?” Still looking down at her latte, Marinette grimaced but nodded.

“So. As I was saying. Two weeks ago when we were patrolling, we were talking about our kwamis, right? And we were discussing what they both do to recharge after we transform back. I was talking about Plagg’s obsession with stinky cheese, and you laughed before telling me about Tikki’s love of sweets—“

“Okay, yeah, so I said she likes sweets! How did that possibly tip you off to my civilian identity?!” Her knuckles were unusually pale as she held her cup.

“I’m getting to that. Later on in the patrol, things started getting personal again, remember? And you mentioned something in passing about how your science teacher had changed her hair from purple to lime green. You were talking about how you wished your transformation did something that cool.” He heard a tiny “Oh,” from Marinette as her eyes grew wide. “Yeah. ‘Oh.’ I don’t know if you knew this, Mari, but there aren’t that many _collège_ -level science teachers in Paris that fit that description.”

He paused to see if Marinette had any retaliating responses. She remained silent, and so he elected to continue on.

“From there it was…actually surprisingly easy. I figured that it had to be someone in our class, but I wasn’t sure who until a week ago.”

“What happened a week ago?” Marinette asked, her voice incredibly small as she scrunched her eyebrows together, keeping her eyes closed.

“I caught you sneaking cookies into your purse at lunch.”

Nino and Adrien had walked up to Marinette and Alya’s table at the park to join them. That was when Adrien caught Marinette. Alya had brought the cookies from home, and Nino had called out excitedly asking if there was anymore and he and Adrien approached. The girls apologized, saying that there were no more, made more evident by the empty tin sitting in between the two girls. Nino was thoroughly disappointed, and Adrien couldn’t get out of his head how peculiar it had been that Marinette, one of the most giving and caring people he knew, wouldn’t have been willing to share any of the cookies she’d slipped into her purse.

 _What kind of person stores cookies in their purse anyway?_ Adrien had wondered.

“After that, the pieces started falling into place. The disappearances during akuma attacks. Talking into your purse. Sending Alya on wild goose-chases whenever Ladybug came up. Why you were always defending Chat Noir. Why…” He sighed as he rubbed his sore cheek. “Why both you and Ladybug seemed so flustered around me as Adrien.

“Then came the huge details. Like, the ‘Holy crap, how did I miss that?’ kind of details. Like your hair. Your eyes, freckles and smile. Your kindness and compassion. The fierceness you get in your eyes when a person has wronged someone else. Even the way you roll your eyes at Alya is the same as when you’re exasperated with Chat.” Adrien smiled to himself, shaking his head at his own blindness. “I couldn’t believe how I hadn’t seen the similarities before.”

The pair sat in silence for a few moments more. Adrien couldn’t say that he was surprised; this was a lot for Marinette to be taking in at once. Having her identity exposed (even if it was only to one person), learning that her crush for the past year was also her partner, having sat in a jail cell for having a meltdown caused by said aforementioned crush and partner.

Finally she spoke.

“…I beat Chat Noir.”

Adrien looked up at her with curiosity. “Huh?”

“I beat you up. Well, kind of. But I beat Chat Noir in a fight today.” She snorted with laughter as she smirked down at her cup. “Who’s the tough one now, _mon chaton_?”

Adrien held his breath for a moment.

“So… You aren’t mad anymore?”

Marinette sighed as she opened her eyes, finally looking up at him.

“I…wasn’t mad before. Just…shocked out of my mind, I guess. In complete and utter disbelief.” She groaned. “God, Adrien, I’m so sorry! This is entirely my fault! I couldn’t handle my emotions, and now… Well, look where we are!”

Adrien stayed silent, evaluating their surroundings in confusion.

“Uh… In a coffee shop?”

She groaned, covering her face with her hands. “No, Adrien!” He gently pressed his index finger to his lips, indicating that she should tone it down. People curiously peeked in their direction from all around the coffee shop. “Sorry. No, that’s not what I meant. I meant… Look at where we are. We both _know_ now. There are no real secrets anymore. We’re both a threat to each other _and_ to ourselves. What if Papillion finds out? We’re both in danger, whether civilian or superhero, as well as our families and friends—“

He could tell that she was about to have another breakdown, and he _really_ didn’t feel like getting smacked in the face again. He grabbed both of her hands as she gestured wildly with them. He could see the fear clouding her eyes as she looked at him, not really seeing him.

“Marinette.”

She didn’t respond, her breathing coming faster and faster.

“Princess.”

He could feel her hands shaking, her eyes starting to glaze over.

“ _My Lady._ ”

For some reason that he couldn’t fathom, that snapped her attention back to reality. He helped her to slow her breathing, instructing her to match her breathing with his as he took slow, deep breaths.

It took several minutes, but eventually Marinette calmed down. Adrien continued to hold her hands, stroking them soothingly with his thumbs as he told her a meaningless story about something funny Nino had said the other day. Anything to ground her and distract her from everything causing her such severe distress.

It was almost fifteen minutes later when he finally asked, “Would you like to take a walk?”

Without speaking she nodded her head, refusing to let go of his hand as they strolled out of the coffee shop and down the street to a nearby park. The leaves on the trees were painted in the colors of autumn; Adrien had always loved this time of year for that very reason. And he couldn’t deny that the way Marinette snuggled into the scarf around her neck was one of the cutest things he’d ever seen.

The pair walked in silence for a few minutes before Marinette squeezed Adrien’s hand and gently pulled him to a stop. He looked down curiously at her sheepish gaze.

“Adrien…”

“Yes?”

“…We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?”

In that unique way of theirs, he knew what she meant without her having to say it. Their friendship and budding romance as Marinette and Adrien. Their friendship and partnership at Ladybug and Chat Noir. Their family and friends, despite the overshadowing threat of Papillon. All of these things, wrapped up into seven simple words.

He looked down warmly into the eyes of the love of his life, not knowing what the future would hold, but knowing that he’d be there with her every step of the way.

“Of course, My Lady. Of course we will.”


	5. Dinner for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **In short: Stood up on date night. Night ends up saved by a stranger.**
> 
> In which Marinette has been dating an absent jerk, and her old collège/lycée crush appears at just the right moment. (Kwami-less AU)

She hated that queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hated that she kept letting him make her feel that way. Most of all, she hated the way that everyone in the restaurant seemed to be giving her sympathetic looks that screamed, _Oh, that poor girl. Stood up by her date. What a sad little thing she is._

Marinette glanced down at her phone for what felt like the millionth time since she’d been seated. She suppressed a sigh; still no response from Jerome, the apparent scumbag of a guy she’d been seeing for the last few months. She shot Alya another quick text letting her know that if he didn’t show up in the next ten minutes that she was leaving, before asking if she could come pick Marinette up if—or more likely, _when_ — the time came.

The instantaneous response from her best friend left her moping even more about Jerome’s lack of _any_ response.

The waitress sidled up to her once again, awkwardly asking (once again) if she’d like to order anything while she waited. Marinette attempted a smile that turned out more like a grimace, asking for just another glass of water. The waitress’s eyes held so much pity as she nodded and took her leave.

_Some “date night” this is…_ Marinette covered her face with her hands as she suppressed the tears threatening to spill over.

She was just as surprised as everyone else in the room when an unfamiliar voice spoke up and slid into the chair next to her.

“Hi, honey! Sorry I’m so late. The shoot ran late, traffic was absolutely terrible, and I had to run home to check on Cheeky. Don’t worry, he still hasn’t even finished the food we gave him this morning, and he had plenty of water.” The voice chuckled warmly as Marinette jerked her hands away from her face, meeting the gaze of her new companion. “What, you didn’t think that I’d forgotten about dinner, did you?”

Perfectly styled blonde hair. Mischievous green eyes. Cheeky grin.

_Oh. OH. Oh my god._

“A-Adrien…?” she tentatively asked, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to make sense of what was turning out to be an entirely nonsensical situation.

He leaned over to brush his lips against her cheek, pausing to whisper in her ear.

“Alya texted Nino who texted me. I just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by.” He pulled back slightly and winked. “I don’t know who this guy is, but he doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

Marinette could feel her brain short-circuiting. _Adrien. In Paris. On a dinner date. With me._ Oh, if only teenage Marinette could see her now.

“Wh-what are you even doing here?” she finally managed to get out. “Last I heard you were modeling in the States!”

Adrien raised his eyebrows at her playfully. “Keeping tabs on me, huh?”

She could feel herself blushing a bit, but she wasn’t in collège or lycée anymore. At 22, she knew how to handle attractive men teasing and flirting with her. Marinette found herself rolling her eyes.

“Ah, yes, of course. Because as an independent fashion designer that works 50-hour weeks, I obviously have _extensive_ amounts of free time.” She smiled as she watched him shake with laughter before taking a sip of water. “And of course, the _first_ thing that comes to mind when I’m leisurely lounging around during my many hours of free time is, ‘Oh my,’” She threw her hand dramatically across her forehead, a dreamy look on her face, “’My heart cannot take it any longer! Where is my dear friend, Adrien? I must find out where he is! Without this knowledge, I may not survive the night!’”

She shot a teasing glance his way, surprised to see him doubling over with laughter. Water dribbled down his face from his nose as he worked to wipe it away with a napkin, still trying (and failing) to catch his breath.

Marinette found herself unable to keep her eyes off of him. Resting her head on her hand and her elbow on the table, she waited patiently for Adrien to finish cleaning himself up and for his laughter to fade. After a few minutes, she smiled back at him as he wiped the last of the tears from his eyes and took one deep, steadying breath.

“ _Merde_ , Marinette… I don’t remember the last time I laughed that hard.” He clapped his hand to his chest, closing his eyes. “Oh, it felt so good to laugh like that.” He let out one last chuckle before refocusing on Marinette.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak again, the waitress came up. She looked both happy and relieved as she took the pair’s orders, happy to go in the back and update her coworkers on the happy ending to the girl’s evening.

And oh, Marinette was happy. The conversation flowed naturally, the two poking fun at each other at every opportunity. Laughter flowed freely, smiles came easily, and everyone dining around them could see how the two of them glowed around each other.

Both Marinette and Adrien found themselves blushing when an older woman with a heavy American accent stopped by their table on the way out, rambling something about “yin and yang,” “marrying your best friend,” and “soulmates” before her husband dragged her away, shooting them an apologetic look. They looked at each other, their latest bout of laughter starting all over again.

It wasn’t until the check came that there was any semblance of awkwardness. Adrien had snatched the check right out of Marinette’s hand, leaving her wide-eyed and blushing.

“Adrien—“ She started blushing horribly when he whipped out his credit card without a second thought, passing it to the waitress before she could even continue her sentence. “Adrien, you really didn’t have to do that. You’re the one who saved me tonight, remember?”

He raised his eyebrows in mock-innocence. “Saved you? But my love, this date night was _my_ idea! What kind of boyfriend lets his girlfriend pay for the date he invited her on?” His eyes softened as he reached across the table, brushing his fingertips against the back of her hand.

Marinette’s inner monologue was reduced to nonsensical babbling; she felt like screaming and singing into the heavens.

When they stood up to finally leave, Adrien held his crooked arm out to her, waiting for her to link her arm through his. She gladly followed through, leaving the restaurant practically floating on air.

She breathed in the luxurious night air as Adrien spoke up.

“Would you care to take a stroll with me, My Lady?” he asked, eyes glittering with happiness.

Her smile widened in return. “Why of course, _Monsieur_ Agreste. It would be my pleasure.”

The pair walked in the most comfortable silence they had ever felt, just enjoying each other’s presence beside them. After a while, Marinette giggled to herself, catching Adrien’s attention.

“Something funny, _Mademoiselle_ Dupain-Cheng?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she said, her voice still tinkling with laughter. “I was just thinking back to collège and lycée… I had an enormous crush on you that whole time.” She shook her head, smiling to herself.

“Obviously this was just you saving me from being stood up, but if younger Marinette could see me now…” Raising a hand to cover her mouth, she let out another peal of laughter.

If their arms hadn’t been linked, Marinette probably wouldn’t have noticed his pace suddenly slowing and coming to a stop. She looked up to see wide eyes looking down at her, shock apparent all over Adrien’s face. Her stomach clenched as she quickly backtracked, doubting herself.

“I—I’m sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable!” She exclaimed, wanting to put him at ease. “I shouldn’t have said anything, it was a long time a—“ Her breath caught as he brushed his thumb over her lips and across her cheekbone. “—go…” she finished in a whisper.

Reevaluating his expression, she realized that all of the shock on his face has morphed into something softer, something more awed as he looked at her.

“So what you’re telling me,” he started, his voice gentle and low, “is that the girl I was completely enamored with all through school—“ Marinette’s eyes widened as her mouth dropped open, “—had feelings for me too, and I had absolutely no idea?”

Realizing her current expression, Marinette shut her mouth before covering it with her hand. Daring to hope, she looked between Adrien’s eyes as she gave him a small nod of affirmation. 

“I see,” he murmured, tilting his head slightly. “If I may ask,” he began, running his hand along her jawbone and causing her to shiver, “how does she feel about me now?”

Marinette could feel her pupils dilating at the contact, negating anything she might have wanted to say to contradict her feelings.

Trapping his hand as he cupped her cheek, Marinette found herself glancing down at his lips and wondering if they felt as soft as they looked. The hunger she found in Adrien’s eyes when she glanced back up sent her heart fluttering.

She couldn’t find it in her to move as he leaned towards her, foreheads and noses touching…

His lips were mere centimeters away, and if she just tilted her face up a little bit…

It was to both of their surprise when Marinette found herself backing off.

“I… I want to kiss you,” she exclaimed in response to the look of hurt and confusion on Adrien’s face. “More than anything, believe me. I just…” She fiddled with her necklace as he waited for her to finish.

“I’m… Well, tonight I was waiting for someone.” She rolled her eyes. “My boyfriend, if you could even call him that.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows and nodded in understanding.

“I…know I need to break things off with him, because obviously it’s not working.” Marinette gave an exasperated sigh before continuing. “But… I don’t know. Despite those intentions, I just don’t think it’s right to be kissing you while he still thinks he and I are together. While he still thinks that everything’s good between us.”

Adrien laid a hand on Marinette’s elbow, smiling down at her as he did so.

“You’re beautiful. You always have been. But that’s not the reason that I fell for you. It was because of your kindness, your trustworthiness, and your honesty.” He brushed a piece of hair out of her face. “This just shows me, even more than I already thought, that you’re still just as good of a person as you were back when we were in school together.

“With that said, I would like to see you again. On a date. A proper one this time, where you actually intend to go out with me from the get-go.” Marinette laughed at that, nodding her agreement.

Soon after that Adrien offered to walk her back to her apartment, an offer that she graciously accepted. All the while, the two had linked arms again, laughing and chatting the whole way.

When they finally reached her apartment, they exchanged numbers, both seeming reluctant to be the first to go. Ultimately, it was Adrien that made the first move.

“Well, My Lady,” he said, reaching down to grasp her hand. “Thank you for such a wonderful, informative evening.” He winked down at her, that mischievous smile gracing his features again.

“I had a wonderful time, too,” she responded, blushing as he brought her hand up to his lips. “Thank you, again, for saving me from the embarrassment of being stood up.”

As Adrien lowered her hand, he gave it a squeeze before releasing it.

“The pleasure was all mine.”

Blue eyes met green, both drowning in a sea of roaring emotions threatening to burst at any moment.

“Goodnight, Adrien.”

As Adrien watched her ascend the steps that led to her apartment, he was once again overwhelmed by the events that night. How easy things were between them. How comfortable around him she now seemed. How easily they had both admitted their feelings. The almost-kiss that he knew would haunt him for the rest of the week…

It took him a moment to recognize the warm feeling in his chest, flagging down a taxi with a smile on his face.

For the first time in a long time, Adrien Agreste had hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh I love endings like that. ;) Try not to hate me too much.


	6. Blatant Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"I hate to cancel. I know we made plans to get together tonight, but that was two hours ago. I was younger then, and full of hope."**
> 
>  
> 
> In which pre-reveal Marinette (to the surprise of no one) embarrasses herself in front of Adrien.

“Marinette, are…you okay?” Adrien asked, concern all over his face.

Marinette laughed, louder than she should have, before responding. “Psh, wha—m-me? Not okay?” She went to lean against the school’s main doorframe, yelping as her hand completely missed her mark. After regaining her balance, she attempted to casually cross her arms over her chest, leaning instead with her shoulder and internally screaming. _This is not happening right now! Someone_ please _tell me this isn’t happening right now!_

“Why—why would I not be o-okay?!” she stuttered, trying not to fumble over her words more than necessary.

“You just seem… I don’t know, jumpy?” Adrien shook his head. “Look, if there’s something I ever did to make you uncomfortable…”

 _What, you mean like existing?_ she desperately thought to herself. It was a moment before she realized that Adrien had abruptly stopped talking, looking at her with a shocked expression.

It took a minute to sink in.

“Did…did I just say that out loud?”

A hurt look passed over Adrien’s face before he glanced down at his feet, rubbing the back of his neck and nodding.

_Oh, hell. Fix this, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. YOU FIX THIS RIGHT NOW._

“Nonono, it’s not what it sounds like!” She yelled out, waving her hands in front of her and desperate to get him to understand. “I mean, I am _so_ glad that you exist. I just get all—“ she gestured wildly in the air, “—around you, and you’re so—with the hair and the eyes—it’s just like—you know…?”

She could tell from the look on poor Adrien’s face that he had no idea what she was trying to say, and she slumped in defeat.

“Adrien… I—“

“ _ADRIKINS!_ ”

A blurry mass of yellow, black and white came hurling at Adrien from inside the school, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a sloppy smooch onto his cheek. Visibly uncomfortable, Adrien dug up a small smile and leaned away as much as he could.

“Hey, Chlo.”

It was then that Chloe finally became aware of Marinette’s presence. She sneered, looking over the embarrassed-looking girl in all of her blushing glory.

“What are you _looking_ at? Run along, _Dupain-Cheng!_ ” she said, like Marinette’s last name was a dirty word. “Pack up your little crush on Adrien and go elsewhere. He’s got more important things to focus on than _you._ ”

Marinette froze as Adrien slowly turned to her, confusion and surprise all over his face. There was no way she was sticking around to figure out what conclusions he drew.

“ _YepokaygottagodoimportantstuffseeyouMondaybye!_ ”

Before she could register her actions, Marinette was bolting down the front steps of the school and down the street, not stopping until she got to the bakery. She hurried past her parents with a quick, “Hi maman, hi papa!” before scurrying up to her room, slamming the trap door shut and collapsing on the floor in a puddle of tears.

This was officially the most humiliating day of her life.

* * *

_”Girl. You can’t be serious.”_

“I know, Alya, I know… I hate to cancel. I know we made plans to get together tonight but that was two hours ago. I was younger then, and full of hope.” Marinette tried her hand at joking, but she ended up just sounding depressed as she switched her phone to her other ear.

Concern filled Alya’s voice. _”Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it? I’m your best friend. You know you can tell me anything.”_

Marinette sighed, “I know, I just…” Frustrated at the tears filling her eyes, her voice became choked with the weight of suppressed sobs. “I just…can’t talk about it yet, okay?”

Alya picked up on the pre-cry sounds in an instant, her heart aching for her friend.

 _“Okay… Okay. We’ll postpone our sleepover plans. But if you need_ anything, _you call me, alright? Promise?”_

Marinette chuckled through the first tears falling down her face. “I promise. Thank you for…understanding, Alya.”

She could hear the smile on the other end of the line. _“What’re friends for, amirite? G’nite, girl!”_

“G’nite, Alya.”

The second she ended the call, Marinette flopped onto her chaise, quietly crying into the cat plushie sitting there. She knew it was silly. She knew that, in a few years, she’d probably look back on this and laugh. But that didn’t matter to her right now. Right now, she was embarrassed. She was _mortified_. She was furious at Chloe, and devestated about Adrien’s reaction.

In a few years, she would laugh. Right now, she just wanted to cry.

Although, based on the sound of boots on her roof, crying the way that she _really_ wanted to would likely have to wait.

Marinette dragged herself up off of the chaise, climbing up her ladder to let in the one person that could possibly be knocking on the trap door above her bed. It was only a split second before Chat Noir swung down into her room, careful not to land on her bed.

He turned to her to give her a triumphant grin, only to be met with a sight that he had not expected to see: messy hair, swollen red eyes, and light streaks of mascara that had dried on Marinette’s freckled cheeks. His stomach clenched painfully. 

“Whoah, hey!” he said, walking over to her and resting his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong, Princess?”

She looked up at him with watery eyes and a look of such devastation that his next line of, Chat _got your tongue?_ died on his lips. He maneuvered her towards her bed and helped her sit, plopping down on the floor in front of her.

“Seriously, Marinette,” he pleaded, resting one hand on her knee. “Please tell me what happened.”

For some reason, seeing her partner sitting on the floor in front of her with such sincerity in his eyes made something in her snap. It didn’t matter that she was in her civilian form and that he had no idea who she was. It didn’t matter. He was here, ready to listen, ready to offer her comfort if she needed it. Her most-trusted partner was here for her, and he didn’t even know it.

The dam well and truly broke.

Marinette burst into heart-wrenching sobs, flinging her arms around Chat’s neck and nestling her face into his neck. For a moment she felt him stiffen before he gently wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back and whispering meaningless words of comfort. She had a nagging feeling in the back of her head that she would regret this in the not-so-distant future, but for now, this was what she needed.

She completely lost track of time, but by the time she was all cried-out, her face felt swollen, she was practically sweating, and Chat was basically cradling her in his lap. He continued to rub her back as she hiccupped through the last of her sobs, murmuring some story about a mishap with a recent Akuma that he thought was funny. She wasn’t really focused on what he was saying, but she found the tone of his voice soothing nonetheless.

They ended up sitting in silence for a while, Chat gently rocking Marinette on his lap as she just rested her head on his leather-clad shoulder. She was exhausted from all of her crying, and she would have been content to just stay there and never move or speak again. But she knew that the silence wouldn’t last forever.

And, of course, it didn’t.

“Marinette…” Chat cleared his throat so that he could speak more clearly after being silent for so long. “Please… Will you _please_ tell me what happened?”

She was silent still, nuzzling her face into his neck. _He’s so warm,_ she thought contentedly to herself. _And he smells so good…_

“…Marinette?”

A deep sigh escaped her as she finally pulled away from Chat, sitting next to him and leaning up against her bed as he leaned against the wall opposite her. She wiped away the last few remnants of tears from her face, staring down at her wet fingertips as she spoke.

“There’s…a boy,” she started, looking up at Chat as he chuckled.

“What, is he really a-boy-ing?”

Marinette’s face scrunched up; the instinct to defend Adrien was strong.

“No, of course not! He’s smart, and he’s kind, and he’s…” She sighed again, closing her eyes and tipping her head back to lay against her mattress. “He’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Chat took a moment while her eyes were closed to examine her face, her posture, the way she played with her fingers. The way her eyebrows furrowed when she was thinking.

“If he’s so great, what happened today that led to…this?” he asked cautiously, not wanting to rekindle her earlier sadness.

“It… Well, it really had nothing to do with him,” Marinette admitted. “It’s really all got to do with me. He’s just so…” She repeated the same hand gesture that she had earlier with Adrien, “And I’m just so…not.”

Her shoulders slumped as she dropped her head into her hands. Chat reached a hand up, pulling it back at the last second.

“I just…” she started, pausing to make sure she got the words right. “I just know that Adrien deserves more than me.” She didn’t notice the way that Chat went completely rigid at her words. “He’s such a wonderful person, and… God, Chat, the way that he smiles?” She laughed at the memory. “It’s the kind of smile that brightens up your whole week, no matter what else is going on.”

She didn’t even realize the way that Chat was smiling at her words, let alone the soft look he was giving her as she continued to rant. She laughed again.

“Honestly,” she said with a smirk, “I’ve only ever found one thing I didn’t love about him.”

“Oh?” Chat asked curiously. “And what might that be?”

She glanced up at him sheepishly. “His…his puns. No offense to the pun-master over here, of course.”

He raised his hands in a sort of _So what?_ gesture. “None taken. But hey, you never know! Maybe one day you’ll Cheng-ge your mind!” He winked at her, causing her to start laughing again. His eyes softened at the sound before she blew her bangs out of her face and looked down at her toes.

“Honestly, Adrien is great. And I _so badly_ want to talk to him and get to know him better, but… I get so nervous whenever he’s around, and I can’t help it.” She gestured wildly with her hands again. “And then _Chloe_ of _all people_ had to go and tell him about my crush while I was standing _right there!_ ”

Marinette scoffed. “I mean, god knows that she’s caused more than her fair share of Akuma, but to do something so blatantly cruel and inconsiderate?” She shook her head, her lopsided pigtails swinging. “I just…ran away. I didn’t even say anything.” A sad look overtook her face again. “And the look on Adrien’s face…”

Chat’s stomach clenched again.

“I…I don’t know if I can face him tomorrow, Chat.”

He grabbed both of her hands in his as she looked up to meet his gaze.

“Marinette, I’m going to tell you something. And when I tell you this, you have to promise that you’ll believe what I’m saying, okay?”

Her eyes widened a little at his level of seriousness, but she nodded her head anyway.

“Good.” He cleared his throat again. “You. Are. Amazing. You are smart, brave, kindhearted, creative, and beautiful. Any guy, and I do mean _any_ guy, would be insanely lucky to have a girl as unique and special as you even remotely interested in them.” He smiled. “Heck, I feel insanely lucky to even have the chance to _know_ you!” That made her laugh, and he smiled even wider.

“Thank you, Chat,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck again and hugging him tightly. “You’re a good friend.”

He hugged her back before they said their goodbyes and he was off again, flinging himself over rooftops. It played back in his head again and again: _You’re a good friend. You’re a good friend. You’re a good friend._

He thought about the look on Marinette’s face when she talked about Adrien.

 _I may be a good friend,_ he thought to himself, _but perhaps it’s time that we try something more._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...don't know how this fic basically turned into Marichat. I really don't. But here we are, it happened, and...I guess it just is what is is. xD
> 
> Also, this is officially the LONGEST ML one-shot I have ever written. And oh my stars, did it take AGES! Definitely worth it though. My poor baby Mari... I only hurt you because I love you and want you to be happy. Darkest before the dawn and all that. ;)


	7. Steady HeartRate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Don't bleed on my floor.**
> 
> In which aged-up Kim hurt himself and he and aged-up Alix have a moment.
> 
> As always, shoutout to the amazing @novaya-model for being a fabulous beta and internet friend, as well as keeping me up to date on current events using normal English. U da bomb dot com!

Alix unlocked the door to her apartment, walking inside and throwing her water bottle on the counter before kicking her shoes off. She was followed by a slightly-limping Kim, a grimace gracing his face and the gaping gash on his knee slowly oozing blood down his leg.

“Don’t you _dare_ bleed on my floor,” she called over her shoulder as she walked towards the bathroom.

He grumbled, continuing to follow her down the familiar hallway. Once he had reached the tiny space, he watched her as she crouched down, searching in her cabinet for where she kept her various first aid supplies. He knew from experience it wouldn’t take her long, but he was impatient. He squeezed into the room, moving behind her and trying not to get blood on her clothes before he sat on the edge of the bathtub, propping his foot up on the toilet.

Alix glared at his foot.

“Seriously? You couldn’t even be bothered to take your shoes off at the door?”

“ _You’re_ the one who didn’t want me getting blood on the stupid floor!” Kim shot back, attempting to wipe some of the blood off of his leg with his hand. “The longer I spent out there, the more likely it was that I’d end up dripping.”

She sighed, rolling her eyes before completing her search. She emerged from the cabinet with two small towels, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, and a large adhesive bandage. She wet one of the towels, plopping it into his bloody hands.

“You’re almost too well-prepared for this, Kubdel,” he sighed, a teasing tone in his voice as he started cleaning himself up.

Alix paused from cleaning up his leg, glancing up at him with a twinkle in her eye. “Enjoy calling me that while you still can.” She smirked, returning her attention to his knee. “Starting next weekend—“

“Hey,” he interrupted, grinning back at her. “’Kubdel’ is like a nickname. Just because I’m—well, _you’re_ —changing your last name doesn’t mean I’ll stop calling you by it.” He winced as Alix gently dabbed excess hydrogen peroxide from the wound.

“Whatever you say, loser,” she responded, eyes widening when Kim grabbed her wrist.

Her eyes met Kim’s soft gaze as he held her chin and brushed her lower lip with his thumb.

“Call me a loser all you want,” he murmured, watching as her pupils dilated at the contact. “As far as I’m concerned, starting next weekend, I’ll be the biggest winner of them all.”

Alix stayed frozen in place for several moments after he pulled away, her eyes wide and staring as Kim plucked the ointment and bandage from her fingers, finishing patching up his own knee. He chucked the bandage wrapper into the garbage can; he made the shot effortlessly before kissing the tip of Alix’s nose and standing up.

“Well,” he said casually, rolling out his neck and shoulders, “I think a protein shake sounds pretty good right about now.” He scooted past Alix and out of the bathroom, making his way towards the kitchen. “You want one?” he called back to her, his tone almost annoyingly chipper.

Alix finally broke out of her frozen state, shaking her head to clear her mind. She quickly rinsed her hands off in the sink, drying them before snatching her diamond ring from the small jewelry box on the counter and slipping it on her left ring finger.

“Hey, you get back here!” She yelled, leaping up and storming into the kitchen where Kim was already laughing. “I haven’t come up with my witty comeback yet!”

He held out her protein shake once Alix got to the kitchen, which she gratefully took despite her somewhat grumpy expression. He gently pulled her in for a side hug as she took her first sip, kissing the top of her head affectionately.

“Don’t worry, Kubdel,” he murmured into her hair as she hummed happily. “We’ve got a lifetime of witty comebacks ahead of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...So. I officially coined the term "fluffstrations" while writing this one-shot. Fluffy frustrations. Because I was so frustrated with how fluffy this chapter was that I literally had to take breaks.
> 
> Usually (at least, in what I've read) when people write HeartRate, it's more...sinful and spontaneous. Which is great, but they're bound to get past that at some point. So I decided to write...well, the fluffy stuff above (lol at my life).
> 
> Also, this is my first ML fic that isn't centered around the love square. Please be gentle lol.


	8. Closeted Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"There are at least seventeen ways this could have gone better. Literally. I'm counting them right now, you moron."**
> 
> In which Alix and Kim have a moment during an akuma attack. Or something like that.

As the saying goes, it’s all fun and games until your teacher gets turned into an akuma and attacks your school, resulting in you getting trapped in a closet with your biggest competition.

…That _is_ how the saying goes, isn’t it?

At the very least, that’s how it was going for Alix and Kim. Apparently one of the history teachers at the school had an idea for a field trip that had gotten shot down pretty badly. Now they’d been akumatized, sending students to random historically significant locations around the world in their rage. “The Historian,” they’d been calling themselves. The Historian had been aiming for Alix as she skated to get away before getting yanked into a random closet by none other than Kim, pain-in-her-butt and competitive-athlete-extraordinaire.

From the sound of the fighting happening outside the door, they could assume that Ladybug and Chat Noir had finally shown up. But that didn’t change the fact that they were stuck in a closet together.

It started out awkward. Alix had made a point to sit as far away from Kim in what small amount of space was given to her, refusing to make eye contact or thank him for helping her find refuge. The two of them hadn’t spent much time together outside of their competitive arguments and their actual competitions, and neither one knew what to say.

Kim, being the extrovert that he was, broke the silence first.

“What, no ‘Thanks, Kim, for saving me from getting transported to a different continent’?” he mumbled sarcastically.

Alix looked sharply in his direction.

“Oh, please. We are literally _stuck in a closet_ inside of the school.” She gestured to the small room surrounding them. “So not only are we trapped inside a claustrophobic room, we’re _still_ close to the stupid akuma!” She crossed her arms over her chest, slouching down against the wall.

Kim frowned at her, not understanding her poutiness.

“There are at least seventeen ways,” she mumbled, “this could have gone better.”

Kim raised his eyebrow at Alix as they made eye contact again.

“Literally,” she continued, louder this time, “Like, I’m counting them right now, you moron.”

Ah, yes. This was familiar territory.

Kim leaned towards her aggressively, his face scrunched up in anger.

“Hey, I didn’t have to pull you in here! You could have gotten zapped to America, or Brazil, or Singapore, or…” He struggled to think of other countries with his anger-riddled mind, finally giving up, “Or somewhere else really far away!”

Alix started leaning towards him, her own anger heating up with his.

“I didn’t ask you to, you… You stupid meathead!”

“Who’re you calling meathead, you scrawny little munchkin?!”

“Hey! I am _younger than you_ , and it’s _not my fault_ my genetics made me small! At least I don’t think I’m better than everyone else just because I pick heavy things up and put them back down again over and over!”

“I do _not_ think I’m better than everyone else because I’m strong! I _know_ I’m better!”

The pair didn’t realize that in the midst of their screaming match they’d ended up practically nose-to-nose, both angry and sexual tension electrifying the air around them.

“Why are you being so stubborn?!” Kim yelled, glancing down at Alix’s lips and back up to her eyes.

“Why are you being such a…such a _jackass_?!” Alix screamed back, her eyes flicking down to his lips as well.

“Oh,” Kim said sarcastically, “You wanna see me be a _jackass_? I’ll show you a freaking jackass!” he hollered, grabbing her face and pressing a crushing kiss onto her lips.

They were both too heated to be surprised when Alix responded in full, tangling her fingers in his hair and brushing her tongue against his lower lip. Kim took this as an open opportunity, sliding his tongue slightly into her mouth until it brushed with hers which seemingly sent them both into a frenzy.

That is, at least, until the closet door was opened by Ladybug.

Alix and Kim sprung apart as the light from the doorway fell over them, both running their fingers through their hair in an attempt to cover up what they were doing. Ladybug stood frozen as they both wiped their mouths, looking anywhere but each other as they stood up and scurried past her with a grunt and a squeaked out, “Thanks!” before splitting off and going their separate ways.

Ladybug turned around, watching them both run off with her eyes wide. She didn’t even realize her mouth was hanging open until Chat slid up next to her and tapped the bottom of her chin a few times, causing her to snap it shut.

“Something wrong, My Lady?” he asked as their Miraculouses beeped again.

“Nothing!” Her voice was a few octaves higher than usual.

He was shocked to see her cheeks turn the color of her suit as she avoided making eye contact with him. He raised an eyebrow at her in question, but she wouldn’t look his way. He shrugged it off, not thinking too much of it.

On the contrary, there were two people elsewhere thinking _very_ much of it and wondering how they would face each other at school tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY that I haven't written/posted anything in like...over a month, I think. I was in Europe for a month studying for school, and I just got back a week ago. BUT, despite my busy work schedule and college/university officially starting up again in a few weeks, I'm going to try to write more! I've even got a chaptered fic in the works (What?? A story that actually has continuity between its chapters??? INSANITY), so be on the lookout! ^_^


	9. Speak Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY-DOO! Well, it's only been a solid 5 months since I've added any prompts to this collection. Woops. Well, in apology, here's a smattering of some aged-up Adrienette fluffy wedding (sort of?) goodness!
> 
> Enjoy! ^_^

“Speak now, or forever hold your peace.”

There was a moment of silence in the church before the creaking of one of the pews drew everyone’s eyes. Marinette found herself standing, eyes locked with Adrien, her heart beating so hard it was nearly painful. A hissing sound came from the bride, and there were scattered whispers of shock.

“Adrien…”

The lump in her throat threatened to choke her. Her eyes started to fill with tears, and her words poured out in a rush.

“I can’t do this. I can’t watch _you_ do this. If I say my piece and you don’t feel the same, I won’t hate you. But I can’t let you go through with this without knowing that… You’ve always been… I’ve always… You’re...” She paused to take a deep breath, looking him square in the eye, fists clenched at her sides.

“I love you.”

The room erupted in furious exclamations, but through all the commotion Adrien never took his eyes off of Marinette. The shock and disbelief was prominent in his gaze, and Marinette felt her heart sink.

_He doesn’t love you back._

Finally breaking eye contact as she snatched up her jacket and purse, Marinette focused on shoving her arms into the sleeves of her coat as she forced her way out of the pew and into the aisle. The tears poured down her face as she practically ran down the aisle, bursting out of the doors of Notre Dame.

She took a deep breath of the bitterly cold air, attempting to ease the ache in her chest that had nothing to do with her lungs. Walking to the street, she tried to hail a cab, tears still blurring her vision.

Just as a cab pulled up to the curb, there was a call of, “Marinette, WAIT!” from behind her.

Marinette whipped her head around in disbelief, eyes widening at the sight of Adrien bounding down the steps of the cathedral, still wearing his tuxedo, his previously perfectly-styled hair disheveled and making him look more like Chat than he had in years.

He practically skidded to a stop in front of her, slightly out of breath, eyes sparkling despite the prominent hand-shaped red mark on his cheek.

They didn't say anything as they stood, frozen in time, looking at each other.

“Are you really doing this?” her eyes asked incredulously.

“I am,” his replied, twinkling happily. “I choose you.”

“Oh my god, this is actually happening,” hers murmured as he cradled her face and they met in the middle, arms wrapping around each other as they kissed fiercely.

The cab driver honked, startling the two out of their little bubble. They got into the cab, holding hands as they settled into their seats.

“Where are you headed?”

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other before Adrien responded.

“Town hall, please.”

* * *

It didn't take long to make things official. When you're the ex-superheroes of Paris in addition to being an extremely famous international model and world-renowned designer, expediting legal processes is significantly easier than for most people. By the time they left town hall, the paperwork from Adrien’s almost-marriage were in the process of being nullified, his and Marinette’s paperwork was already almost through the entire approval process, and Adrien had people in the process of moving his belongings to a location undisclosed to his would-have-been bride.

By the time they left the building, the bitterness of the cold had dulled slightly, and big fluffy snowflakes began to fall. The reality of their situation had finally set in as they stood at the top of the steps of the Town Hall, pinkies linked as they stared at the winter wonderland unfolding around them.

Marinette spoke first.

“This is actually happening.”

“Yep.”

“You left...her...at the altar. On your wedding day.”

“Yep.”

“You left her...to marry...me?”

Adrien paused before responding.

“Why do you seem so surprised?”

Marinette avoided his curious gaze, staring up at the overcast evening sky. The streetlights lit up the snowflakes and reflected off the single tear that rolled down her cheek. She was quick to wipe it away, turning to finally face Adrien, her...husband, essentially. Looking into his warm eyes, it finally sunk in.

She didn’t feel it happening, but Adrien watched as an enormous grin spread itself across her face, her vibrantly blue eyes sparkling at him with unadulterated joy.

Marinette pulled her hand away from his, only to bring both of her hands up to gently cup his face. Adrien watched her eyes flick between both of his eyes, searching for anything that would prove that this was a dream, that it wasn’t real.

She didn’t find what she was looking for.

“This… This is really happening…” she whispered reverently.

“This is really happening,” he affirmed, placing his hands over hers.

They came together in the softest of kisses, nothing but tenderness and the purest of love flowing between them during the few seconds their lips were connected. When they pulled away, they linked fingers, their eyes conversing again.

“Will you come home with me?” hers asked.

His crinkled around the corners with happiness.

“Always, My Lady.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'd appreciate you leaving kudos if you liked it (let's be honest, I can use all the encouragement I can get lol). Also, I love comments! Tell me what you liked, tell me what I should work on, tell me what you think I should do next!


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